Bihar: Farmers to learn organic cultivation methods abroad

The Bihar government has decided to send farmers of 13 districts abroad to learn advanced methods of organic cultivation to improve agricultural productivity. Thirteen districts that are part of the organic corridor are Patna, Buxar, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Lakhisarai, Vaishali, Saran, Samastipur, Khagaria, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Munger and Katihar.

The Bihar government has decided to send farmers of 13 districts abroad to learn advanced methods of organic cultivation to improve agricultural productivity. Interested farmers of the 13 districts—located along the banks of the Ganga—will be sent abroad in batches and the state agriculture department will bear the expenses of Rs 5 lakh per cultivator, Kumar Sarvjeet, Bihar Agriculture Minister, said.

"The department has already created an Organic Farming Corridor of 13 districts (along the banks of Ganga ) in the state where farmers will be encouraged to opt for organic cultivation in their areas. This will be done on a mission mode and the state government will provide all possible facilities related to organic farming to the interested farmers till 2025. "We will also send the interested farmers of these 13 districts to countries like Vietnam, Thailand, Bhutan etc. to learn the advanced techniques of organic farming. After learning, they are likely to adopt the methods and inform their fellow farmers about the techniques of organic farming for better productivity", the minister, told PTI. Farmers engaged in organic farming in Vietnam, Thailand, and Bhutan are doing well, he said. "We will bear the expenses of overseas learning/study tours of our farmers and the process has already been initiated. The department has already approved around Rs. 104.36 crore for effectively developing the Organic Farming Corridor in the state," said the minister. The department has identified 20,000 acres in 13 districts for creating the corridor, he said. Explaining the benefits of organic farming, the minister said, in this system of agriculture, products are grown without using chemical fertilisers and pesticides with an environmentally and socially responsible approach. An organic farm also requires less capital investment, he said. The cultivators will be given the facility of agricultural grants, and free certification for organic farming under the scheme, he said. Apart from this, the state government is also planning to implement several programmes, schemes and new policies to ensure higher income for farmers. The initiative is part of the Nitish Kumar government's ambitious 4th agriculture roadmap aimed at fulfilling the agricultural target of farmers in the state. Thirteen districts that are part of the organic corridor are Patna, Buxar, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Lakhisarai, Vaishali, Saran, Samastipur, Khagaria, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Munger and Katihar. The department has identified 2,000 acres for creating the corridor in each of the seven districts —Patna, Bhojpur, Nalanda, Vaishali, Saran, Samastipur and Begusarai. The other districts include Buxar (1,500 acres), Lakhisarai (500 acres), Bhagalpur (1,500 acres), Munger (500 acres), Katihar (1,500 acres) and Khagaria (500 acres).

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